Carpet Questions, Choosing between Anso Nylons

11 years ago

We are building and need carpet for 3 bedrooms upstairs & finished basement rec room & another bedroom, plus stairs. After much reading, I had narrowed it down to Smart Strand or Shaw Anso Nylon but pricing through our builder has steered us towards the Shaw Anso Nylon.

We had a really bad experience with our last carpet at our old house. I don't know what kind of material it was but it did not hold up well and was extremely uncomfortable from day one, so we are over-analyzing this decision and could use some input. We have 2 kids, 8 & 10 and no pets at this time (but the kids are dying for a puppy.)

3 Carpets we are considering are:

Shaw 100% Anso BCF Nylon called Chance Encounter. It comes in I, II & III. We really like the Chance Encounter III the best b/c it is the softest but could save a bit by doing the II.

Product Chance Encounter 3

Color/Pattern# 211

Color Name/Item Baguette

Width 12.0

Grade 1st Quality

Gauge 5/32

Backing SOFTBAC

Face Weight 53.6

Total Weight 90.3

Fiber Brand 100% Anso BCF Nylon

Chance Encounter II

Face Weight: 045.8

Thickness: 0.770

Total Weight: 082.3

Weight Density: 98058

Density: 0002141

Ply Twist: 6.90

Durability Rating: 4.00

Gauge: 5/32

FHA/MEA: 52504

Stitches (Contract Only): 5.50

Primary Backing (Contract Only): Polypropylene

Secondary Backing (Contract Only): Softbac Platinum

Second choice is a Shaw Tuftex Move On Up Z6968 with a 46.8 Face Weight. THis is the only info I have found so far about it.

Our last choice is a Shaw Broadway EA042. It is also a Anso 100% BCF Nylon. This is the one I can't find any information about online.

We plan to go with a 8 lb pad. Would love some feedback abou the carpets we are considering.

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Comments (5)

mydreamhome
11 years ago
Can't really comment on the Shaw, but I can comment on our carpet buying experience when it comes to this style of carpet. Our carpet guy tried to steer us toward the Shaw carpets that compete w/ Smartstrand when DH balked at the SS price (granted, DH hadn't done any research on the carpets or even touched the SS). After feeling the Shaw sample and comparing to the SS, I said absolutely not. Like you we had issues w/ the carpet we put in the last house not being comfortable and stains would reappear a couple days after a steam cleaning & I definitely did not want a repeat on either of those fronts. We went w/ Smartstand and have been very happy with it's performance so far. Super soft luxurious feeling & stains come right out with just a little plain tap water and a clean cloth (even blood splotches from when DS2 cut his foot and tracked quarter sized blood splotches into his bedroom, across the room to his bathroom and back across the beautiful white SS carpet)--AMAZING!!

Can you go outside your builder's carpet guy? If you're looking for a better price on SS, try Lowe's. Their price is so low that the local dealers can't touch it--it may even come in less than the Shaw carpets you're looking at. Each dealer's SS has different names assigned to the different weights so you'll need to have the specs to compare apples to apples (i.e. the dealer's SS Intelligent Style is the same as Lowe's SS Lucky Star.) Remember too, that when you deal with the builder's preferred vendors, they like to talk about how you get a builders discount/builders pricing. What they really mean is that the builder will be getting a kickback/referral fee from the vendor for giving him the business. Additionally, the builder may pad the charges from the vendor. All in all, you may come out much better by going through the local Lowe's.

Hope this helps!
newlywed2011
11 years ago
We too purchased Smart Strand. It is getting installed tomorrow so I will let you know how we like it.

There are not a lot of reviews on Gardenweb (other than yours, Mydreamhome). But nearly everyone on here who mentions it talks about how soft it is.

Can't wait!
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In my experience, no, carpet does not last and keeping it professionally cleaned still does not keep it looking nice for more than a few years. Perhaps I have a lower tolerance for carpet that's starting to look ratty vs other people. So far as that waterproof pad... I had new carpets (the smart strand) installed in the bedrooms in my last house. Shortly thereafter, my cat got sick and she had three accidents on the carpet (urine). All that waterproof pad did was to allow the urine to spread out in a larger area than it would have if we'd had a regular pad underneath. Three spots that would have been small turned into three spread out spots. It was awful. We had two different professional cleaners to clean the carpet in that bedroom. They couldn't get the urine out. It smelled horribly. Both came twice. We ended up lifting up the carpet and cleaning it from the back side. The urine had spread out into large spots because of that pad. I'd never have a moisture proof pad again. If we'd had regular pad, I think it would have been easier to clean (and just replace that section of pad, if we needed to). The carpets in my last house needed to be replaced three times in 11 years. We replaced them once when we moved in, about half way through when we lived there and, then, they were ready to be replaced again when we sold the house. The carpet was just as expensive, per sq ft, as the hard flooring that we put in the rest of the house, when we bought the house. The hard flooring looked pristine when we moved out. The carpets needed to be replaced, again. Carpet can be (but it isn't always) less expensive up front. But, the expense of replacing it comes back again and again, sooner than many people realize. There are also hard flooring options that are the same price, or less, per sq ft. My in-laws paid the same price per sq ft for their hardwood floors as they did for the carpets in their bedrooms. They put in hardwood everywhere except the bedrooms. Then, when they moved, they had to replace the carpets and they were shocked at how expensive it was to replace the carpets. We are two adults who are clean in our home and the only pet accidents we had the entire time we were in our last home were the ones I mentioned previously, when my cat got sick. We vacuumed about 4-5 times per week. The carpets didn't look dirty, but they had wear patterns and just looked ratty and old. Of course, when they are taken up, it's always obvious that carpets ARE dirty. They simply are not able to be kept clean like hard floors. Vacuuming and professional cleaning will not keep them as clean as you can keep a hard floor. I'll admit it. I don't like carpet. I'll never willingly have it again. I hesitated to say anything on this thread, but, when I saw those beautiful hardwood floors I just wanted to say that I'd do that, if possible. I thought I'd mention it because maybe it wasn't something the op had considered. Anyway, sorry. I realize this probably isn't what the homeowner was looking to hear, so I will try to avoid saying anything else.
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mydreamhome
11 years ago
Congrats, newlywed!! Can't wait to hear how you like it! What style & color did you end up choosing? Lowe's or independent dealer?

I think alot of people who reno or build new end up posting on the building a home or remodeling forums and don't ever post over here and that's why we don't see many reviews. I would also bet that alot of people just go with the old standards as they are less expensive and often what was budgeted for either by the homeowner or the GC. By the time you get to carpet selections in a reno or new build, you've often gone over budget in other areas and there is no more wiggle room left to upgrade the carpet. Lucky for me, I knew what carpet I wanted, how much it was going to cost and prepared up front for it to ensure we had the funds available at the end. There were a few areas of our build that we planned for this way and those are the things that I most love in the finished house (my luxurious Smartstrand, my bath tub that makes little teeny tiny bubbles that caress your skin vs. beating you to death, 2 dishwashers, upgraded granite for the island, vessel sink in the powder room and awesome oversized 1-3/4 kitchen sink.)
newlywed2011
11 years ago
Just had it installed yesterday and we LOVE IT! But the installation was delayed and it was a nightmare!

The installers came and ripped out the carpet in our bedroom and got it ready to install pad and carpet. When they went to unroll the carpet I realized it was the wrong color! I stopped them and put my sample that I had down on the roll and they all agreed it was much lighter than the sample. I had picked Grecian Column which is light to start with! It's the lightest they offer! The carpet was lighter! Installation was halted and I went back to the store with pictures (thank God for my Iphone!). They agreed the color was off. To reorder would take 3 weeks! They had already removed the carpet so I didn't want to walk around on subflooring for 3 weeks. So we cut a sample of the carpet and brought it in the house and with my lighting it looked a beautiful creamy white. They gave us a huge discount if we wanted to keep it and we did! I didn't ask for the discount but it was offered immediately. Lowest was fabulous and their installers did a great job.

It looks and feels like a dream!

MyDreamHome, I was beginning to think you worked for Smartstrand because your reviews are so awesome :) But now I believe you! Sure hoping I'm saying the same in a few years! :) Thanks!
DIYguy_FL
11 years ago
Yes, SS is soft, very soft in fact. But that is not even the reason I would recommend it NoMoreApartment. Save yourself a LOT of trouble and go with SS for the durability.

I can't tell you how many times SS has saved me when paint or wood stain has been spilled on it. Also, no matter how many times you will move furniture on it or heavy traffic, the resiliency is phenomenal.

this should have some more info for you:
http://www.mohawkflooring.com/pdf/SmartStrand_Sorona_Consumer_Brochure_2011.pdf

Carpet Questions, Choosing between Anso Nylons

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mydreamhome

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